Agricultural work vehicles such as agricultural harvesters travel through agricultural fields harvesting crops. These vehicles are typically arranged into 2 major subcomponents that are selectively coupled together.
The first subcomponent is the harvesting vehicle. The harvesting vehicle is configured to gather the cut crop material, thresh the grain, separate the grain from the material other than grain (MOG), clean the grain, and store the grain until it can be unloaded from the vehicle. Harvesting vehicles such as this are typically called “combine harvesters” or “combines”.
The second subcomponent is the agricultural harvesting head. The agricultural harvesting head is configured to engage a particular crop or crops as it travels through the field supported on the front of the harvesting vehicle, to separate the crop from the ground, and to convey the crop to the harvesting vehicle. Agricultural harvesting heads are specially configured based upon the crop or crops they are designed to harvest, which typically include such crops as wheat, soybeans, corn, rice, and rapeseed.
Agricultural harvesting heads are typically mounted on a support structure called a “feederhouse” that extends forward from the front of the harvesting vehicle. They include components such as conveyor belts, augers, and reciprocating knives that are driven by an internal combustion engine mounted on the harvesting vehicle.
To connect the two together, the vehicle operator maneuvers the vehicle until the feederhouse and the agricultural harvesting head are aligned. The operator then climbs down from the harvesting vehicle, approaches the front of the harvesting vehicle, and manually couples the harvesting vehicle and the agricultural harvesting head together.
Once the two are connected, the operator then returns to the latter, climbs up to the operator station, and starts the vehicle. This is a time-consuming process.
What is needed, therefore, is a more efficient means of coupling the agricultural work vehicle to an agricultural harvesting head.
It is an object of this invention to provide such a system.